UPDATE: Third person charged in family feud that erupted in Sumter County brawl

UPDATE, 5:30 p.m.: Another man has been arrested in a family feud that erupted in a fight that left one man in critical condition and a father and son facing charges.

Charles Ridgill, 65, of Reynolds Road, Pinewood, has been charged with three counts of assault and battery first degree and pointing and presenting a firearm at a person, the Sumter County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday.

Arrest warrants allege that Ridgill fired upon three victims Sunday afternoon as they were trying to flee the scene of the altercation, in the 3100 block of South U.S. Highway 15 in Sumter County.

Ridgill turned himself in Tuesday, according to a news release.

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UPDATE, 12:15 p.m.: The father who was charged following a dispute involving his two sons and another family in Sumter has been granted bond, while one of his sons still remains in custody after being denied bond for attempted murder.

Braden Bunch of the Sumter County Sheriff's Office said Joseph Lloyd Henderson Sr., 43, was granted a $525 surety bond by a Magistrate judge in a Sumter-Lee Magistrate courtroom Tuesday morning after being charged with third-degree assault and battery.

However, Henderson's 20-year-old son Joseph Henderson Jr. will remain in custody after his bond was denied by a Magistrate Court judge Tuesday morning. Bunch said because of the severity of his charges, Joseph Henderson Jr. will appear in front of a Circuit Court judge, which normally handles bond setting for more severe crimes.

EARLIER STORY: An altercation Sunday between two families that left one man in critical condition and a father and son facing charges is part of an ongoing feud, a spokesman with the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said.

Braden Bunch said the feud has persisted for more than a year.

Bunch said he doesn’t know what started the feud between the families, but confirmed Monday sheriff’s deputies have responded to several incidents between them. There are currently court cases pending between the families as well as an expired restraining order set between them, Bunch said, though details of the cases were not known Monday.

The incident occurred around 5:15 p.m. Sunday after Joshua Henderson and his brother Joseph Henderson Jr. were returning from a grocery store in the 1700 block of Highway 15 South in Sumter County, the report said.

Once inside their truck, the Henderson brothers saw Crystal Gainey and her daughter, Layken, and her daughter’s boyfriend Charles Ridgill, were behind them in a parked car, the report said. The brothers also told officers they saw Christopher Bell, a friend of the Gaineys, running back to his vehicle.

Crystal Gainey then allegedly got out of her vehicle and tried to spray the Henderson brothers with mace, the incident report said. Joseph Henderson Jr., who was in the driver’s seat, attempted to flee the parking lot while Gainey allegedly tried to follow them on foot before her daughter picked her up and started to follow the Hendersons’ vehicle, the report said.

The Hendersons then contacted law enforcement and their father, Joseph Henderson Sr., and alerted them of the situation and to meet them at a convenience store a few blocks away, according to the report.

When the brothers arrived at the convenience store, the report said, Gainey parked behind them again.

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That was when Joseph Henderson Sr. arrived and confronted Gainey about following his children and said, “It’s been over a year and half ago, let it go,” the report said.

Gainey then sprayed the elder Henderson with mace, the report said, and he punched her in the face.

Then Gainey’s husband Donnie, who arrived at the scene, tried to assault the elder Henderson with a PVC pipe for hitting his wife, the report said.

As the two men struggled, Crystal Gainey approached Joseph Henderson Jr. while he was in his truck and allegedly began firing a gun in his direction, the report said.

After Joseph Henderson Sr. pushed Donnie Gainey to the ground, the Henderson men tried to flee in their truck as Crystal Gainey continued to fire shots at them, the report said.

As the Henderson brothers ran away, the vehicle driven by Joseph Henderson Jr. struck and ran over Donnie Gainey and dragged him 30 yards, the report said. Once they realized they had struck him, the brothers left their vehicle and fled on foot down Highway 15, the report said.

Joshua Henderson alleges Ridgill, the boyfriend of Crystal Gainey’s daughter, then began firing several shots at them as they fled, the report said. But deputies have not filed any charges against Ridgill, who had a small caliber pistol in his possession.

According to the report, Ridgill, the Henderson brothers and Bell, a friend of the Gaineys, arrived at Lakewood Baptist Church at Nazarene Church Road and Highway 15 South. Bell began running toward the Hendersons with a metal pipe, the report said, but was detained by sheriff’s deputies and taken into custody.

After taking statements from the individuals involved, Joseph Henderson Jr., 20, was charged with attempted murder and Joseph Henderson Sr., 43, was charged with assault and battery third degree. They are being held at the Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center, where they are awaiting a bond hearing Monday.

Joseph Henderson Jr.’s hearing is set for Feb. 6; the date for the elder Henderson’s hearing is Feb. 5.

Donnie Gainey was airlifted to an Augusta-area hospital in critical condition. His condition was not known Monday, Bunch said.

Bunch said more charges and arrests are pending as the investigation continues.